My home, My life

The My House, My Life program now provides decent housing for 6.8 million Brazilians

Do you remember when the dream of owning a home was really just a dream? Well, with Lula and Dilma it is coming true, thanks to the largest housing program in Brazil’s history. Considered by the UN "an example for the world," My House, My Life already has contracted construction of 3.4 million homes and apartments across the country, of which 1.7 million have been delivered, to the benefit of some 6.8 million Brazilians — the equivalent of the entire population of Brazil’s second largest city (Rio de Janeiro). This is the government providing housing for those in need — while at the same time helping drive commerce and industry, generating jobs and income, turning what was a dream into citizens’ rights, development and dignity.

The largest housing program in history is the result of dialogue between the federal government and social movements

A housing program as big and encompassing as My House, My Life, historically one of the most important entreaties of social movements, does not emerge out of thin air. It is the result of dialogue between the PT governments and organizations involved in the fight for decent housing, such as the National Union for Popular Housing (UNMP), Popular Movements Center (CMP), National Housing Struggle Movement (MNLM) and National Residents Confederation (Conam).

When President Lula announced the goal of building one million residences, the opposition bellowed: Impossible! It seemed impossible in a country that for many years had not invested a penny in housing programs. "The only thing impossible is for God to commit a sin," Lula replied.

And Brazil reached the milestone of 1.7 million houses and apartments delivered by 2014 — 1.7 million dreams that came true — with another 1.7 million under construction, a unique partnership between the federal government, states, municipalities, social movements and the private sector for the right to housing.

Our home is our haven. It's where we raise children, receive friends, spend the happiest hours of the day. A house is everyone’s right, but not everyone can afford to buy or build his or her own, even if they fight for this during their entire lifetime. Lula created the My House, My Life program for these Brazilians. It provides funding to families with gross incomes of up to R$ 5,000. The priority is for those earning up to R$ 1,600 monthly, who pay 5% of their income for the funding over ten years.

In the up to R$ 3,275 monthly bracket, the subsidy is up to R$ 25,000, inversely proportional to income. For families with income up to R$ 5,000 a month, the benefit is offered through a reduction in the home financing interest rate, ranging from 5% to 7.16%, depending on family income.

A survey conducted by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) reveals that the monthly loan installment payment in the My House, My Life program is lower than the beneficiaries pay for monthly electricity, water, gas and condominium services. These expenditures, according to IPEA, total an average of R$ 105.35, whereas the loan installment payment for beneficiaries with incomes from zero to R$ 1,600 is about R$ 64.96. The numbers prove the program is, in fact, accessible to the population’s poorest strata.

Do you remember the old truism: "my neighbor's garden is always more beautiful than mine?" Well, that’s not the case in the My House, My Life program. Each family now claims its house is the most beautiful in the entire neighborhood. Plus, on a scale of 0 to 10, the program’s beneficiaries awarded an 8.8 score for the item "satisfaction with the dwelling" and 8.6 for "improved quality of life." Ipea conducted the survey using a sample of 7,620 residences located in 187 municipalities.

Another important innovation is My House, My Life - Entities, created with the goal of enabling families to organize themselves into cooperatives, private nonprofit organizations and urban associations to act as promoters/organizers of social interest housing programs, which strengthens citizenship practices. In this mode, popular organizations reinforce the education and grassroots organization processes, just as important as housing construction per se.

Aimed at families with gross monthly income of up to R$ 1,600, through May 2014 My House, My Life - Entities had contracted 43,175 houses in all regions of Brazil, of which 3,000 already have been delivered.

Because one-third of the properties contracted for through My House, My Life are apartments, condominium life is a novelty for most beneficiaries and, therefore, the program orients residents about how to set up a building condominium and organize its accounts.

"I was convinced it was necessary to finish my term of office signing the largest number of housing contracts ever in the history of this country, funded by the Caixa Econômica Federal and subsidized by the government of the Republic ... 1.3 million homes contracted (in 2010) ... And we told the naysayers to never dare doubt the construction capacity for building the homes of Brazilian workers, of the Caixa Econômica Federal and the Brazilian government, which is determined to solve the problem of a chronic housing shortage in this country."

"One (needs) to recognize that the Brazilian State, not only the government, the Brazilian State has an obligation to a certain strata of the population, to contribute so that it has access to home ownership. Hence, that is why this is the program for which the federal government spends the most on subsidies. We, in fact, subsidize home ownership for the poor population of this country. And it's not a matter of charity, it's not about giving, it is not a gift. It is an obligation and, therefore, part of the State, and is a right of the citizens, of the population. That is the fundamental difference of this program, it was made for citizens with full rights and right to public money."

"At first I was a bit disbelieving because I already had been through so much ... After I received the house, life changed. Today, have access to a bathroom, if I want to got out, I have somewhere to walk to, the street has a sidewalk. Today, my life is greatly changed."